Epilogue

Seniors are yesterday’s young people. In other words, young people are the seniors of tomorrow. This biological inevitability confers them with crucial economic importance. Indeed, in one or two generations’ time they will have a higher income and more assets. Putting them in a positive frame of mind today increases the chances that this will translate into hard cash in the future. To put it bluntly, young people are a prime investment, one of the most promising there is. Brands and retailers should be truly delighted with the findings of this latest Observatoire Cetelem survey devoted to the under-30s. Somewhat counterintuitively, this age group displays a strong affinity with cars, while also predicting, and even hoping, that they have a bright future ahead of them. Ultimately, they love cars and will continue to do so for a long time to come. In keeping with their generation’s expectations, which are also tinged with a degree of anxiety, they like to picture themselves in a car that is environmentally friendly.

In such a context, thanks to the relatively high level of credibility they command among young people, as this survey shows, brands have many strong cards to play. It is up to them not to waste them. Their future success will rely on constant, transparent dialogue, a firm and genuine commitment to the environment, smooth integration into a multi-faceted transport mix and, above all, prices that will make cars accessible to a generation who simply want to get behind the wheel and create an irreplaceable scrapbook of memories.